Apple Watch Can Now Warn You About High Blood Pressure — Here’s What You Should Know

For many of us in the UK, especially women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, this is a big deal. High blood pressure (hypertension) often has no obvious symptoms, yet it’s one of the main risk factors for stroke and heart disease.

So what exactly has Apple introduced, how do you use it, and what does the NHS say about high blood pressure?

What the New Feature Does

Apple explains that its watches now have the ability to look for signs of chronic high blood pressure:

Using the optical heart sensor, the watch analyses how your blood vessels respond to each heartbeat.
It does this passively, in the background, over a 30-day period.
If consistent patterns suggest possible hypertension, you’ll receive a notification.

Apple is clear that this:

Will not diagnose hypertension.
Will not catch every case.
Should be treated as a prompt to check further, not a replacement for a GP visit.

Apple Newsroom release: https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2025/09/apple-debuts-apple-watch-series-11-featuring-groundbreaking-health-insights/

Which Watches Get It?

This feature is available on:

Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 (launch models)
Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 10
Apple Watch Ultra 2

All of these require the new watchOS 26 software update.

Apple press release: https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2025/09/introducing-apple-watch-ultra-3/

How to Activate It

According to Apple Support:

Update your watch to watchOS 26.
Open the Health app on your iPhone.
In the Browse tab, select Heart → Hypertension Notifications.
Confirm eligibility (must be 22 or over, not pregnant, and not already diagnosed with hypertension).
Toggle the feature on.

Support page: https://support.apple.com/en-us/117296

📦 What Counts as High Blood Pressure in the UK

At home: 135/85 mmHg or higher
At clinic/GP/pharmacy: 140/90 mmHg or higher
Stage One Hypertension: 140/90 up to 160/100 in clinic, or 135/85 to 150/95 at home (BHF)

Sources:

Apple’s Advice If You Get a “Possible Hypertension” Warning

From Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/en-us/117296

Don’t panic — it’s not a diagnosis.
Confirm with a cuff — use a proper blood pressure monitor for 7 days at home.
Log the readings — Apple Health can store them, or you can keep notes.
See your GP — share the 7-day log for proper assessment.
Remember: the feature is for adults 22+, not for those already diagnosed with hypertension or for women who are pregnant

Confirm your blood pressure with a BIHS reccomended blood pressure monitor

Check out our article on reccomened cuff blood pressure monitors https://digitalhealthcoachuk.net/health-tools-for-you/best-home-blood-pressure-monitor-bihs-approved-list/

Why This Matters

The NHS says around a third of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, but many don’t know it. The Apple Watch won’t replace GP or pharmacy checks — but it might give you an early nudge to take your blood pressure seriously.

And with UK guidelines recommending repeated home or clinic readings before a diagnosis, Apple’s “possible hypertension” alert actually fits well with NHS practice.

Final Thoughts

For women juggling family, work, and busy lives, it’s easy to skip routine checks. The Apple Watch’s new tool could serve as a subtle but important reminder that our health needs attention too.

If you already have a compatible model, check your Health app settings once watchOS 26 arrives. If not, this could be something to keep in mind when you next upgrade — or even drop hints for Christmas! 🎁

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